BUFFALO, NY – The Buffalo State men's basketball team defeated the SUNY Potsdam Bears, 83-73, on Senior Day in their home season finale.

GAME BASICS

FINAL SCORE: Buffalo State – 83, SUNY Potsdam – 73
LOCATION: Sports Arena – Buffalo, NY
RECORDS: Buffalo State: 9-14 (5-11 SUNYAC), SUNY Potsdam: 1-22 (1-15 SUNYAC)

INSIDE THE BENGAL BOX SCORE

• Chisom Ani (Elmont, NY/John Browne) led the Bengals with 20 points, going 7-9 from the field and 6-8 from the free-throw line. Oryan DeJesus (Schenectady, NY/ Mekeel Christian Academy) finished out a strong weekend performance, scoring 17 points that included going a perfect 11-11 from the free-throw line.
• Ani and DeJesus also picked up double-doubles, with Ani grabbing 11 rebounds and DeJesus pulling down 12 boards to lead the Bengals.
• The Bengals shot 43.1% from the field, 23.1% from three, and 77.8% from the free-throw line.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• After a tough win against Plattsburgh State last night, the Bengals returned for 'Senior Day' as they looked to pick up their first SUNYAC weekend sweep since 2016-17 against the SUNY Potsdam Bears.
• In the first half, the Bengals got out to a hot start, scoring 11 straight to take an early double-digit lead. While this lead would give the Bengals some breathing room for most of the quarter, a 10-0 run by the Bears would give them their first lead of the game, forcing the Bengals to respond. As both sides battled back and forth throughout the half, a late 7-0 run from the Bengals would return the momentum back in their favor. However, the Bears would answer back, closing the half on a 7-0 run of their own, as the Bengals' lead was trimmed down to a single point heading into halftime.  
• In the second half, the Bengals responded nicely with a 9-2 advantage to begin the half, but the Bears followed up with a 10-0 run to retake the lead in this one. A game of runs would be the story of this half, as the Bengals lead 8-0 A run would give them a three-possession lead late in this half. As the Bears clawed their way back into this matchup, the Bengals stayed firm in their positioning, holding onto this SUNYAC bout to secure a Senior Day win in their home finale, while also picking up their first SUNYAC weekend sweep since 2016-17…good job Coach Berkun!

FOR THE FOES

• Mike Hancock led the Bears with 16 points, with Landon Cox and Hancock each finishing with a team-high six rebounds.
• As a team, the Bears shot 41.1% from the field, 20.8% from beyond the arc, and 73.3% from the free-throw line.

UP NEXT
The Bengals will close out their regular season schedule on the road, traveling to SUNY Canton next Friday, February 20th, to battle the Roos at 7:30 PM.